“Off,” Ana breathed, and tugged on the side of the bikinis Natalie still wore.
“Demanding, but okay,” Natalie said playfully, obliging the request.
“Can’t help it,” Ana said, her eyes combing over Natalie’s now-naked body as she settled back on top. Natalie moaned reverently at the feel of them together at last, skin on skin, nothing between them now. She couldn’t help but grind into Ana, her own heat level rising yet again. Ana arched her back against Natalie and met her there. Ana slid a hand between them and lower, cupping Natalie, almost sending her over the edge once again.
But this was Natalie’s show.
She took Ana’s hand and guided it to the spindled headboard. “Hold on,” she told her. When Ana complied, Natalie repeated the action, placing Ana’s other hand next to the first. “Don’t let go.” Ana’s lips parted at the implication, but she did as she was told.
She kissed her way down Ana’s stomach to her inner thighs and settled her mouth right where she’d left off. Natalie took her time and meticulously went to work. She found Ana’s rhythm easily and settled in, loving the little noises she heard from above her. The squirming. The ragged breaths as her need increased. She stole a glimpse of Ana, who still held on to the headboard, her head tossing against the pillow in urgency. With one thrust, Natalie pushed her fingers inside Ana and then pulled her fully into her mouth. With a loud cry, Ana’s hips pushed off the bed and held as the orgasm tore through her. For someone as reserved as Ana on the day-to-day, she didn’t hold back now, calling out in what could only be described as one of the sexiest sounds Natalie had ever heard. She climbed on top and settled a thigh between Ana’s legs as she rode out the last surge. She hadn’t seen it coming when Ana slipped a hand between them and expertly caressed Natalie. With just that one touch from Ana, she gasped and tumbled over the edge again, helpless to the wonderful shock waves that rippled through her. It was too much and not enough at the same damn time.
It was everything.
She slid off Ana, exhausted and reveling. Ana stared up at the ceiling, her arm tossed over her forehead making her look like the beautiful subject of a Renaissance painting. Tiny beads of sweat dotted her chest and Natalie had to restrain herself from licking them off.
“Good?” she asked finally.
“There are bound to be stronger words,” Ana said, still captivated by the ceiling. And then she turned to Natalie with an upshift in energy. “People should have sex more.”
Natalie laughed. “They should. They do.”
“Then I’ve seriously been missing out.”
Okay, that was it. Natalie couldn’t take it anymore. “You’re being entirely too adorable.” She rolled over and kissed Ana, gently this time, savoring the taste. “And that wasn’t just sex. That was what you’d call good sex.”
“It was, wasn’t it?” she marveled. “Not just me?”
“Definitely not just you. It turns out we fit.”
“Lucky us.”
They drifted off together on the same pillow, their limbs intertwined. When Natalie awoke a couple hours later with her body on fire, she smiled as the reason became clear: Ana’s mouth on her breast and her hand between Natalie’s legs.
“I think you’re making up for lost time,” Natalie whispered. She then hissed in a breath, moving into the touch.
“Is that bad?” Ana asked, smiling against Natalie’s skin.
“Are you kidding?”
Chapter Thirteen
Ana smiled and blinked against the sunlight streaming in through her window. There was a woman lying across her body, which she realized was the reason for her automatic smile. Natalie, it occurred to her fondly, was a deep sleeper who enjoyed sleeping in the center of the bed.
But she looked really, really sexy when she did it.
She removed the strand of Natalie’s hair across her own face, taking note of the way Natalie’s breathing, in soft rhythmic puffs, tickled her neck. She lay completely on top of Ana, their bare breasts pressed together. Natalie had tucked a hand between them, and the other rested on Ana’s shoulder. They’d stayed together all night, which was new for Ana. She’d never really partaken in the sleepover thing before. And though one part of her wanted to leap from the bed at the new and unnerving experience, another wanted something very different. She pulled Natalie into her and closed her eyes, reveling in the warmth and how sated and heavy her body felt.
In that moment, Ana forced herself to let go of her inhibitions and experienced happiness in a way she never had before in her life. She’d had a fantastic opening the night before, and what was happening between her and Natalie, while early and terrifying, had her looking forward to life and everything that lay ahead.
Natalie stirred in her arms then. “Good morning,” Ana said quietly, as Natalie had never really struck her as a morning person. A deep sigh of contentment was her answer as Natalie snuggled into her even further.
“Isn’t it though?” Natalie asked finally, and then nuzzled Ana’s neck.
“It’s your opening today,” Ana told her, bracing against the flutters Natalie’s mouth seemed to cause her. “Are you excited?”
“A lot of things have me excited lately.” Natalie pushed onto her elbows and met her eyes. Her untamed hair and swollen lips made her the sexiest person alive, and she was right there in Ana’s bed.
“Me too. My father’s coming next week,” Ana blurted. “Sorry. That was kind of a non sequitur. I think I’m bad at pillow talk.”
Natalie smiled widely. “That’s okay. It was cute. So your pop’s gonna pop in and see you perform?”
“Yeah.” She felt the smile dim on her face.
“And that has you a little nervous.”
“No,” Ana said, as if it were the craziest thing in the world, when in reality it was her exact life. “Okay, yes. He makes me incredibly nervous.”
“Understandable. You guys get along?”
“We do. It’s not a terribly deep relationship. But we respect one another.”
Natalie inclined her head. “Okay, what aren’t you saying? I’m naked and vulnerable in your bed right now, so you owe me your utmost honesty.”
“You are not vulnerable in the slightest. You’re the most confident person on the planet, and that extends to the bedroom, we now know.”
Natalie laughed and kissed her. “Fine,” she murmured against Ana’s mouth. “But I still wanna know. You’re beautiful in the morning, by the way. Proceed.” She leaned her head back onto her hand and looked down at Ana expectantly.
“My father’s good at what he does.”
“Right, the world knows this. Beloved by all.”
“But I don’t think he believes I am. Or at least, not as good as he would like me to be.”
“Why? Because you’re not the household name he is?”
“Something like that.” And then, “No, exactly that.”
“Well, that’s bullshit. You’re awesome onstage and I don’t say that with bias. I’ve watched you daily for months now and continue to marvel at how you do what you do.”
“You mean that, don’t you?” Ana said, starting to believe her. She was also coming to understand how important Natalie’s opinion was to her. A scary thought.
“Look at my face.” Ana did and what she saw there vanquished any lingering doubt, because the eyes looking back at her were solemn, sincere. “You amaze me on the regular. You’re easily the most talented person I’ve ever worked with, and you’ve been generous enough to teach me what I didn’t know. He should be nothing but proud of you.”
“Thank you,” Ana said. She had to look away because the emotion that threatened was too powerful a foe for her typical resolve. Hearing those words from someone who mattered to her slammed her hard with overwhelming gratitude and joy. How pathetic was she?
“Hey,” Natalie said, turning Ana’s chin back to face her. “Since your eyes are all watery, I think I should choose this moment to say that you also amaze me with your cl
othes off. I might like the clothes off part even more than the dancing part. But we should continue the investigation just to be sure.”
Ana laughed, the comment lifting her instantly. Natalie had a way of knowing just what she needed. Scary, really, but this time in a good way. She only hoped she could find a way to do the same for her. “I’ve never let anyone sleep over before.” She covered her mouth, realizing that she’d once again blurted. What was with all of the off-the-cuff admissions? Had sleeping with Natalie completely annihilated her filter? And if so, what else was going to come flying out of her mouth?
“Seriously? No sleepovers?”
“It’s true. I slept at her place for half a night a couple of times. Roxanne, I mean. But there were no mornings and she never slept here.”
“Why not?”
“I guess I wasn’t comfortable with it.”
“Does that mean you’re totally freaking out right now because I’m in your bed staring at your gorgeous body and it’s morning?”
Ana tilted her head from side to side. “A little bit, yeah. But at the same time, I’m also very, very happy. And if it’s all right with you, I plan to kiss you some more before you’re whisked away to the theater.”
Natalie looked skyward. “If that’s the price of morning admission at Ana’s place, I suppose you’ve twisted my arm.” She slid on top, and the kissing session they engaged in turned out to be only the opening act.
*
“Three orgasms?” Audrey asked, and absently popped a yogurt-covered raisin in her mouth. “You’re not telling the truth right now.”
“That’s not even counting this morning,” Natalie said, nabbing a yogurt-covered raisin of her own. She had an hour before she had to be in costume and makeup, so she lounged with Audrey on the comfortable couch next to her dressing table, alongside Ana’s, which sat empty that night.
“There were more orgasms this morning?”
Natalie didn’t answer with words; instead, she chewed her raisin and regarded Audrey with a pointed eyebrow raise.
“There were,” Audrey said, pointing at her. “There were more orgasms! Who knew you guys would be so hot and heavy right off the bat? I mean, work up to it, people.”
“Oh, I knew. More.” She held out her hand and Audrey poured her a few more of the awesome raisins. “The sparks were bouncing off us from the moment we met. Not that they were all good sparks, but sometimes the bad sparks transition into really really good sparks. The kind of sparks that give you three orgasms.”
“Right! I should be writing this down.” Audrey made a grabby gesture with her hands. “You guys had that fiery tension right off, which surely fanned the flames of your uninhibited passion. All that conflict. All that angsty build-up. The fighting just…” Audrey fanned herself in lieu of any real word.
“Fantastic,” Jason said flatly from the doorway of the dressing room.
Natalie turned at the sound of his voice, and her heart sank knowing what he’d just heard.
“I was just stopping by to—never mind.”
“Jason, wait. What did you want to say?” Natalie asked.
He took a deep breath. “We’re dancing together tonight and despite our…differences lately, I want you to know that I have your back out there. We need to be able to trust each other.”
Natalie nodded. Jason was a pro. She knew this. “Thanks, Jase. I feel the same way.”
“Great. Okay, then,” he said, still zero inflection in his voice. And just as quickly as he’d appeared, he was gone, dragging his broken heart on a sad little rope behind him. As into Ana as Natalie was, she hated this particular side effect.
But Jason stayed true to his word, and once he and Natalie met onstage, all of that awkward tension seemed to float away. They connected and they danced. Natalie gave everything she had to the performance, and though she felt she could have been more polished, she was pleased with her work.
There was no fancy afterparty like there had been the night prior, but Roger was waiting for her backstage with a double-cheek kiss and a bouquet of flowers. “You were exquisite tonight, Natalie. You’ve come a long way, my dear. Congratulations. You’re a true leading lady.”
She beamed up at him, but resisted the urge to punch him in the shoulder. “Thanks, Rog. I owe you for bringing me here. As much as I fought it, and as awful as I was to work with at points, you stuck with me. So, thank you.”
As conservative as he normally was, Roger blushed at the sentiment. “I hope you’ll stay with us in the coming seasons.”
But would she?
It was a question Natalie asked herself a lot.
Was she now a full-fledged ballerina for life? The answer tugged at her.
As much as she’d enjoyed working on Aftermath, and as much as she’d learned, the idea of staying with the company long term was daunting. What about her own work? Her own vision? There’d been a time when she’d had big plans for herself. And yet…how could she walk away from something so steady, so prestigious, so shockingly rewarding?
After a quick transformation back into Natalie-of-the-real-world, she flipped off the light to the shared dressing room and headed into the hall, where she found Ana waiting with a foot kicked against the wall. She straightened when she saw Natalie and inclined her head and smiled.
“Hey, you,” Natalie said. “I thought we were meeting outside.”
“I wanted to see you sooner because you were just that brilliant tonight. I couldn’t wait.”
“Stop. You know I screwed up the second variation.” It was a minor mistake, but Ana would have caught it easily.
“Didn’t matter. You owned that stage.”
“Thank you. But I think you’re just being nice.”
“Have you met me?”
Natalie chuckled. “Touché. What shall we do now?”
“Um, ice cream,” Ana said without hesitation.
“You’re going to take me out for ice cream?”
“It’s what my father always did for me after a stellar performance. And now I’m going to do it for you. There’s really no better celebration.”
She looked at Ana out of the corner of her eye. “The opening-night party yesterday was pretty awesome.”
“Doesn’t hold a candle to where I’m about to take you.”
“And where is that?” Natalie asked, intrigued.
“A heavenly place on Earth. It’s called Shake Shack. Follow me.”
*
They arrived at the Shake Shack close to eleven p.m. There was a line on the street outside, but then there was always a line at Shake Shack. As they waited patiently on the sidewalk, Ana bounced on her heels a couple of times in order to stay warm. It was turning into an unseasonably cold fall, and temperatures had dipped into the uncomfortable zone.
“Give me your hands,” Natalie said.
Ana stared at her suspiciously. “What are you going to do with them?”
“Only you would say that. Watch.” Natalie covered Ana’s hands with her own, rubbing the outsides before breathing into them. Her warm breath did cut the chill, and Ana smiled at the sweetness of the gesture. “Any better?” Natalie blew into their hands again.
Ana nodded. “Much.”
“Good. Any ice cream tips as we wait? You seem to be the pro.”
“Tip number one: they call it custard here.” Ana held up her hand to halt any argument. “I know. It’s barbaric, but we forgive them when they hand it to us because it’s awesome ice cream in disguise.”
“Got it. We forgive the custard moniker. What’s your favorite flavor?”
Ana looked skyward. “Well, I don’t allow myself to indulge too often.”
“Shocking,” Natalie said and rolled her eyes. Ana had no choice but to shove her playfully.
“But when I do indulge, on an important day such as this one, I feel that Jelly’s Last Donut is the only way to go.”
“Explain.”
“I can try. We’re talking vanilla with little donut pieces,
topped off with a strawberry jam and this amazing cinnamon sugar that will have you falling on your knees.”
“That’s a bold endorsement.”
Ana looked at her emphatically. “It is. Yet I stand by it.”
“Do you realize you’re adorable when you talk about ice cream? I mean you’ve had adorable moments before, but this one takes the cake.”
“You mean the donut?”
“And there’s a rare joke from Ana. Nice! You’re slaying me with cute right now. I might be on overload. You have to refrain from any more endearing ice cream wit.”
“Stop it,” Ana said, laughing. “I’m serious over here. I happen to love Shake Shack.”
Natalie stepped into her space. “Then I’m supremely honored you brought me here. To one of your time-honored traditions.”
“Well, you earned it,” Ana said, savoring the closeness after they’d been apart most of the day.
Natalie dropped her tone. “Are you referring to the events of your apartment or the stage?”
Ana felt the pink hit her cheeks at merely the reference to the night prior, when Natalie had combusted in her lap and then owned Ana in no time flat. She’d never been so responsive to someone else’s touch before, but somehow Natalie rendered her helpless in that department. It had only been their first time together, and already they had shattered any record of Ana’s. “I think we can include both,” Ana said shyly, recalling the question at hand.
“I was hoping you felt that way.”
After they at long last ordered and received their ice cream (custard), Ana followed Natalie to a table as a question tugged. They sat along the window, which offered excellent people-watching potential. “So, last night,” Ana began, her stomach tightening with nervous energy.
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